Inclusion of e-cigarettes in SHD smoke-free policies – 6/12/14

Q: The North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services is interested in knowing how many State Health Departments have included e-cigarettes into their smoke free policies for their own departments.

A:

1. Alabama: The Alabama Department of Public Health just added electronic smoking devices to its tobacco free campus policy
    
2. Connecticut: We are still working on this in Connecticut! Good luck!
    
3. Hawaii: The Hawaii State Department of Health's Electronic Smoking Device Policy became effective January 1, 2014. Attached are the letter to all DOH employees, the policy, and the approved signage.
    
4. Missouri: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has included e-cigarettes in our tobacco-free policy.
    
5. Minnesota: The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reviewing changes to the MDH Smoking and Tobacco Use Policy which proposes to include e-cigarettes and vaping. The revised draft policy titled, MDH Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Use Policy, incorporates the provisions of the new e-cigarette state law which prohibits the use of e-cigarettes in state owned and operated buildings as of July 1, 2014. Our draft language also includes areas not covered under the state e-cigarette law.
    
   The MDH draft policy states, "Smoking, vaping and the use of other tobacco products is not allowed in any State owned or leased Department of Health building space, grounds or state vehicles, or within 25 feet to building entrances, pedestrian entrances, ventilation intakes, and to and from adjacent parking ramps."
    
   The policy will be discussed by members of the MDH Health Operations Team in June.
    
6. Nebraska: Attached is Nebraska's state building smoking policy which does include e-cigarettes.
    
7. Utah: In Utah e-cigarettes are included in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) covering all public buildings. Before the UICAA was updated to include e-cigarettes in 2012, there were also some public buildings that covered e-cigarettes in their individual policies. You can find more information about the changes to the definition of smoking that were made in UICAA to include e-cigarettes on our website. This page (http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/uicaa-changes_in_smoking.html ) also provides links to the actual statute and rule.
    
   To educate the public on the changes to the law we did an outdoor campaign (see billboard design) and distributed posters to state agencies and other interested businesses.
    
8. Washington: The WA DOH policy was just updated to include vapor products.

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